Arjun Singh
( d.1848)

Arjun Singh

In 1838, Maharaja Ranjit Singh appointed Arjan Singh as part of a delegation to the governor-general, Lord Auckland, at Simla and Ferozepur. Following Ranjit Singh’s death, Sardar Arjan Singh was found in the entourage of Nau Nihal Singh, the Maharaja's grandson. 

In 1840, during Sher Singh's reign, he accompanied Ventura in the conquest of Mandi and Kamlagarh. In March 1843, Arjan Singh was one of the recipients of a robe of honour when the troops returned to Lahore from the expedition to Peshawar and Kabul. At Maharaja Sher Singh’s demise in 1843, Arjan Singh was a commandant.

After Sher Singh's assasination, mayhem prevailed and the East India Company saw its opportunity. Arjan Singh resolutely refused to assist the British for personal gain. He joined the patriots to retain the independence of the Sikh empire. The conditions in Punjab had reached such a sorry state that those citizens who did not facilitate the British attempt to annex Punjab were declared ‘traitors’.

In mid-October 1848, Arjan Singh, Mian Lakha Singh and Bakhshi Sukha Singh crossed the river Jehlum, accompanied by 2000-3000 horsemen and foot-soldiers, and established their sway in the Sarai of Khaspur and other places. Later that month, Arjan Singh and Arbel Singh were collecting large sums of money along the banks of the river Chenab, after which they proceeded towards Gujrat.

Arjan Singh openly defied the treacherous leaders of the Sikhs in Lahore and was forced to seek refuge in his fortified house in Gujranwala with about 100 men. The small detachment sent by the durbar to bring Arjan Singh to Lahore was unsuccessful in its mission.

Brigadier Campbell of the East India Company then dispatched troops with a squadron of Skinner’s Horse to capture him, but he escaped. The wall of Hari Singh Nalwa’s fort, which surrounded the house, was destroyed, and all the property found therein was confiscated. Soon after his escape, Arjan Singh died. Cocke, one of the six officers appointed by Lawrence to make the settlement of land tax in Punjab, sent a report of Arjan Singh’s valiant defence in Gujranwala.